Reduced Fat and Cholesterol Red Velvet Cake

"I made some alterations for this wonderful and rich Southern favorite! This cake has all the flavor and richness of a traditional red velvet cake, but you won't feel guilty while enjoying it! With the use of whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose, you are getting fiber and dessert in one! The frosting that goes with this cake is equally delicious and almost guilt free! This cake is delicious!"

Directions

Beat together the applesauce, 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon of sugar and sucralose baking blend, and egg substitute with an electric mixer on Medium speed in a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, stir the cocoa powder and red food coloring together until smooth, and mix into the liquid ingredients. Gradually beat in the whole wheat flour mixture, alternating with buttermilk in several additions, and mix in 1 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract. In a small bowl, stir the vinegar and baking soda together, and mix into the batter. Pour batter into the cake pans, and tap the filled pans on the counter to remove air bubbles.

Bake in the preheated oven until the cakes are set and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

For frosting, place the vanilla yogurt and cottage cheese into the work bowl of a food processor, and process until smooth; add the cream cheese, and process again to smoothly blend the mixture. Add confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and process again to make a smooth frosting, 30 seconds to 1 more minute, scraping the sides of the bowl. If frosting seems too stiff to spread, blend in skim milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the frosting is spreadable and smooth. Chill frosting for 1 hour before frosting cake. After frosting, chill cake before serving for easier cutting.

The original recipe was submitted using reduced fat cream cheese, cottage cheese and yogurt. I do not reccomend using fat-free as the texture of these will alter the final product and make for a runnier frosting. Also if you do not have butter milk on hand, you can make your own! Mix 2 tablespoons white vinegar with fat free or reduced fat milk, stire and let stand for 5 minutes. This is usually what I do, since I have no need for a large bottle of buttermilk after I make this cake. You can also use egg whites instead of the egg beaters...instead of egg beaters use 4 egg whites. You may also need to add additional powdered sugar to stiffen the frosting. Remember that the nutritional information will change if you alter the recipe.

This "cake" does not taste bad, but neither does it taste like cake either. It was an experiment to me, and every single person I served it too agreed that it much more closely resembled a sweet, dense red velvet muffin. The cake was extremely heavy and short. The icing was delicious but did not taste like normal icing and was difficult to spread because it was so thin. It was much more similar to overly sweet yogurt.
I also found that the artificial sweetener was funny tasting and needed to add some sugar to keep the cake from tasting awful. The original recipe called for 1 1/2 cup sugar so I added about 3/4 cup sugar to this recipe.
I would NOT recommend this recipe if you are trying to make something that resembles a traditional red velvet cake, or trying to make a cake for other people. However, if you're just trying to be healthy and eat it within your own home, go for it!

Not bad, but I got to say, using fat free isn't nessairly the best for you. Low fat foods and fat free have lots of added chemicals to them,preservatives, and don't tell me wrong a TON of artificial sweetners, whenever I bake I use natural cane sugar, 1% cottage cheese, 1 cup buttermilk because all the ones with no fat are really bad for you. But; nicely done cake, without cheese or milk it could be vegan.

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.